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Dear Basketball

Play trailer Poster for Dear Basketball 2017 6m Drama Animation Play Trailer Watchlist
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71% Tomatometer 14 Reviews 75% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
An animated telling of Kobe Bryant's poem.

Critics Reviews

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Don Shanahan Every Movie Has a Lesson Jul 20
3/5
There is a first-person intimacy and reverence in "Dear Basketball" that cannot be denied. Go to Full Review
Roberto Friedman Bay Area Reporter 06/03/2020
It's a narcissistic love affair for true fans only. Go to Full Review
Glenn Dunks Junkee 06/20/2018
Nice animation, but Bryant's poem is barf-worthy. Go to Full Review
Shaun Munro Flickering Myth 03/19/2018
3/5
Even with its potent John Williams score, Dear Basketball ultimately doesn't amount to too much substantial. Go to Full Review
Laura Hiros Diario La Estrella (Fort Worth, TX) 03/14/2018
4/5
The sweet story of a little boy who falls in love with a basketball to become a true sports legend. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review
Kiko Martinez San Antonio Current 03/07/2018
B+
A beautifully hand-drawn animation and personal poem that is both impassioned and inspiring. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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MrEpic 1 @MrEpic Feb 23 One of the best animated shorts I've ever seen. 🏀 See more Jay W 11/20/2024 I'm a Celtic Fan, and Even I like this: After Kobe Bryant and his daughter's tragic passing, this animated short takes on a new bittersweet feeling that few others replicate. I don't mean to sugarcoat Kobe's legacy as a player. Like so many professional athletes there are some unsavory stories out there about this man. But one thing you can't deny about Kobe, is that he was dedicated to basketball. For these 5 minutes, Kobe is just a kid with a dream and a passion. And that passion was basketball. The film is beautifully animated by some "Beauty and the Beast" alum and scored by John Williams. It earned its 2017 Best animated Short Oscar. R. I. P. to the Mamba. See more 05/24/2022 The combination of some really good pencil drawings from a noted Disney animator/director, a terrific score from John Williams and good narration make the Oscar-winning short film Dear Basketball a potent love letter to the titular sport that's even more poignant now in the wake of Kobe Bryant's tragic death in 2020. I might not be much of a sports buff but I still really liked this short film. Makes me curious as to what I would've thought of it had I seen it back when Kobe and his daughter were still alive. See more 03/23/2020 This was a cool little short film. Kobe really was an inspiration to many people (including myself) and it is so sad that he passed away so young. Rip Kobe. See more 01/31/2020 A beautifully animated short film with a nice story about the late Kobe Bryant. While I will not forgive the academy for favoring this over Lou, this is a nice short film. See more 01/28/2020 A heartfelt tribute to basketball by Kobe Bryant with great animation and a beautiful score by John Williams. See more Read all reviews
Dear Basketball

My Rating

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Movie Info

Synopsis An animated telling of Kobe Bryant's poem.
Director
Glen Keane
Producer
Kobe Bryant
Screenwriter
Kobe Bryant
Genre
Drama, Animation
Runtime
6m